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Authors: Bhagya Chandra
Love after Marriage
Love after Marriage
Bhagya Chandra
Copyright © 2014 Bhagya Chandra
All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.
Contents
About
Love after Marriage
Compassionate and deeply emotional, ‘Love after Marriage’ is a contemporary love story about Deepak and Roshni, a young couple flung together in a traditional arranged marriage. The story authenticates the concept of an
arranged marriage
, which has prevailed in India for several hundred years. It centers on the conviction that husband and wife, strangers at the time of marriage, can develop a stronger love if they are honest and committed to each other.
In
Love after Marriage,
Deepak and Roshni embark on the timeless journey, only to discover that it’s not quite as simple as they expected. What follows is an exploration of understanding and compromise, weaving a tapestry of love and affection that lasts longer and grows stronger over time.
Glossary
Aai – Mother (in Marathi language)
Acha – Okay, Yes
Aloo – Potato
Amma – Mother
Arati – Is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of pooja in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities.
Ashtami – 8
th
day of Lunar Calendar
Baba – Father
Babuji – Father
Badi – Big, older
Baraat – Bridegroom’s wedding procession
Behena – Sister
Besan – Chick pea flour
Bete/beti/beta – 'Beti' is daughter and 'beta' is son. However, 'bete' is similar to 'child' used here and can be used as a more affectionate word for son or daughter.
Bhabhi – Sister-in-law
Bhai saab – Brother, saab – sir
Bhaiya – Brother
Bhaji – Indian vegetable curry
Bhel Puri – A North Indian snack dish made with puffed rice, spices, onions, and various herbs.
Bidaai – Time when the bride leaves her parents’ house.
Bread rolls – Potato curry stuffed in softened bread, rolled and deep fried.
Burfi – A sweet in form of bars shaped in squares, rectangles or diamonds. Several varieties exist.
Chai – Indian tea with cream and sugar and spices.
Chacha – Uncle
Chakli, chewda – Indian savories
Chapathi – Indian bread similar to a tortilla made with wheat flour.
Chathurdasi – 14
th
day of the Lunar Calendar, waning phase of the moon, a day prior to new moon (Amavasya) or full moon (Poornima).
Chat – Snack type dishes such as samosas, bhel puri, etc.
Chat pata – Something sweet and spicy
Chole – Garbanzo dish, garbanzos cooked in various herbs and spices.
Churidar Pyjama (pajama) – Pants with folds at the ankle
Chutney – A side dish accompanying meals. Chutneys can be wet or dry powders and vary from coarse to fine texture; made with various vegetables, lentils and fruits.
Curry – Indian vegetable dish with spices
Dahi – Indian homemade yogurt
Dal – Indian lentils, lentil dish is referred to as dal
Darshan – Vision, sight or glimpse, a term that is usually referred to in religious context: darshan of a deity in a temple, darshan of ‘Guru’, etc.
Dasami – 10
th
day of the Lunar Calendar
Dashera – A major Hindu Festival, it is a ten-day festival.
Durga – Indian Goddess Durga
Dhaba – Small fast food type restaurant for Punjabi food
Didi – Older sister
Diwali – Indian festival
Dosa – South Indian food, thin crisps made with rice and lentil flour, and served with potato curry and chutney powder.
Dupatta – Stole/shawl worn over Indian dress
Durga Devi – Indian Goddess
Gulab Jamun – A cheese-based dessert made of milk solids, traditionally from curdled milk, the curdled milk is made into small balls, deep fried in oil or ghee, and soaked in sugar syrup.
Garam masala – A combination of various spice such as cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel, nut meg, cinnamon, etc.; very commonly used in North Indian cuisine.
Haan – Yes
Hing – Asafoetida: dried latex used in food as a condiment.
Idli – Steamed rice cake made of fermented rice and urad dal (lentil) flour.
Jalebi – A sweet dish, orange in color and made of wheat flour and deep fried in circular shapes and soaked in sugar syrup. A very popular Indian sweet made on special occasions.
‘Ji’ as in ‘Vivek ji’ – Attached next to the name, people addressed respectfully.
Kaki – Uncle’s wife
Kangan – Bracelets
Kanyadaan – Giving away of the bride by bride’s father.
Kheer – A desert generally made with rice, sometimes vermicelli and tapioca are used; consistency is similar to rice pudding.
Kula devi – Family deity
Kurta – A piece of clothing worn by males. It is a long shirt with full sleeves, worn for fashion, tradition and culture.
Laddu – A ball-shaped sweet made in India with flour and sugar, ingredients vary by recipe.
Lehenga-choli – A long skirt and a matching blouse
Maang – Parting of the women’s hair
Maharashtrian – A person hailing from the state of Maharashtra in India.
Maiya – Divine mother
Mandap – Platform where marriages occur
Mandir – Temple
Mangala sutra – A sacred necklace that a Hindu groom ties around the bride's neck during the wedding.
Mango lassi – A drink made with mango, yogurt and water with a little sugar.
Mantras – A Sanskrit term for a sound, syllable, a word or group of words, usually starting with the sound of ‘Ohm’.
Marathi – Language spoken in the state of Maharashtra.
Masala/Masala Powder – Curry powders/spice powder
Mithai – Hindi word for sweets
Muhurat – Auspicious time during wedding ceremony when the groom ties the mangalsutra around the bride’s neck and fills vermilion in her partition.
Naan – Type of Indian bread made in a Tandoori oven.
Namaste – Anjali mudra (palms touching each other near the heart region)
Onion Bhajiya – Deep fried onion fritters made with chick pea flour with various spices and herbs; also called ‘onion bajji’.
Pag – Pheri – Newly wedded couple visit the bride’s parents’ house.
Pagari/pagari – Turban worn in India
Pakoda – Deep fried fritters made with potato, onion or other vegetables.
Pallu – End of the sari that drapes over the shoulder.
Paratha – Stuffed flatbread
Phere’s – Going round the pious fire during the wedding, an important ritual in a Hindu wedding.
Pooja – Ritual
Pooja Thali –A plate with all the ingredients required for pooja.
Poories – A small ball of dough rolled out in a circle and deep fried in oil, usually made of wheat flour.
Pulav – Rice dish cooked with various spices and vegetables.
Prasad – Offering to the God
Raita – Yogurt-based side dish
Rajma – North Indian dish made with kidney beans cooked with spices and herbs in a tomato sauce.
Rangoli – A decorative design generally made of rice flour in front of the altar, living room or in front of the house. It is believed that it is sacred and welcomes the deities.
Ras malai – Ras Malai consists of sugary white, cream or yellow colored (or flattened) balls of cheese (paneer) soaked in cream flavored with cardamom.
Rawa Upma – Cream of wheat dish, a common South Indian breakfast dish
Sabzimandi – Vegetable market
Sada Suhaagan – May your husband live long.
Salwar kameez – Indian traditional dress, loose pants with a long shirt
Samosa – A fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, green beans and carrots. Its size and consistency varies, but typically, it is distinctly triangular.
Sari – Indian traditional clothing for women
Satsangh – Meeting like-minded people (mostly related to spiritual meetings)
Sherwani – Long coat-like garment worn during special occasions, especially weddings.
Shirdi Baba – Sai Baba, a saint, a guru who lived in a small town of Shirdi in the state of Maharashtra.
Sindoor – A traditional red-colored powder (kum kum or vermilion) that is worn by married women along the parting of their hair or a dot on the forehead near the parting, this is first applied on the woman by her husband on the wedding day. Unmarried women or widows do not wear this sindoor in the parting.
Suhaag raat – It is a significant ritual in the life of a newlywed couple in India as it refers to the maiden night after marriage between the husband and wife when they go intimate with their physical relationship for the first time.
Vada – Also known as ‘Medhu vada’ in South India, it’s made with urad dal and herbs.
Vada pav – Sometimes spelled ‘wada pav’ or ‘vada paav’, it’s a popular spicy vegetarian fast food dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a potato vada sandwiched between two pieces of pav (bread).
Vaishno Devi – The name for Mother Goddess, the temple is located at Trikuta Mountains in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.
Vegetable curry – Vegetable dish made with various spices.
Wah – An expression of subtle sadness, often resulting from disappointment or bad news.
Wati – Small stainless-steel bowl
Yaar – An informal way to address friends
Zari – Golden thread embroidery
Prologue
November 22
nd
, 2009
Mr. Sashank Verma heard the announcement of the landing of Singapore Airlines flight 456 at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The crowd jostled him as families and friends all headed to the arrival gate at once. Heading for the baggage claim area and the exit gate, he searched for his brother Deepak, who was arriving from San Francisco. After several minutes, Sashank spotted his brother and waved his hand.
Deepak walked to meet his older brother and touched his feet in respect. “Bhaiya, how are you?”
The brothers hugged each other, and Sashank asked, “Deepak, how was the journey?”
“All right, but it was a long trip.”
Sashank looked around to see if there was somewhere Deepak could wait until he brought the car. Finding no area, he shrugged his shoulders. “Deepak, please wait here. I will bring the car.”
Once the luggage was loaded and they were headed for home, Deepak asked, “Bhaiya, how are you and how is Akash?”
“All right, keeping myself busy and healthy,” Sashank replied. “You know Akash – he is at a discourse and could not come; otherwise he is doing well.” He smiled and nodded his head. “And how is your job? We hear so much about recession and bad economy in the US; has that had any impact in the area, your job?”
“The US is certainly going through hard times now. Several people have lost their jobs. By God’s grace, it has not impacted our company. As a matter of fact, I just implemented a big project a couple of weeks ago. Because of this, I was able to get some time off to visit you all in India. Definitely a good break, I needed it. We spent long hours at work for the last few months.”